When the driver presses the accelerator pedal, the internal combustion engine is controlled so as to change the operating point.
The computer of this internal combustion engine to this end calculates new quantities of air and fuel to be injected into the engine cylinders.
In order for this engine to function well, certain thermomechanical limits must not be exceeded, such as a rotation speed threshold for the engine drive shaft or a permitted temperature threshold of the engine block.
When an internal combustion engine shifts from one operating point to another following acceleration by the driver, the temperature of the burned gases rises.
It is then necessary to limit this temperature increase in order to prevent the engine from overheating.
Document EP1320669 describes a method in which it is provided to control the temperature of the liquid coolant of the internal combustion engine as a function of the new operating point of the engine.
In particular, it is provided to reduce the liquid coolant temperature when the engine is running under heavy load.
Nonetheless, the liquid coolant temperature of the engine does not vary immediately with the new temperature setpoint imposed. The cooling of the engine block itself has a certain latency period. These two phenomena combined lead to a risk of a temporary rise in the temperature of the engine block beyond the permitted temperature threshold.